Electrical power distribution and control apparatus



Aug. 30, 1949. GARVlN 2,480,568

ELECTRICAL POWER DISTRIBUTION AND CONTROL APPARATUS Filed April '7, 1947 '7 Sheets-Shet l Aug. 30, 1949. B, GARWN 2,480,568

ELECTRICAL POWER DISTRIBUTION I AND CONTROL APPARATUS I Filed April 7, 1947 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 30, 1949. GARVlN 2,480,568

ELECTRICAL POWER DISTRIBUTION AND CONTROL APPARATUS Filed April '7, 1947 7 Sheets$heet 3 1mm; H M r; WW ll I L l X a 0mm m 4 1717023 If flan/02v v IIIIIIH IIHI &

Aug. 30, 1949.

H. B. GARVIN 2,480,568 ELECT AL POWER DISTRIBUTION A CONTROL APPARATUS '7 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed A ril 7, 1947 Aug. 30, 1949. H. GARVIN 2,480,568

ELECTRICAL POWER DISTRIBUTION AND CONTROL APPARATUS Filed April '7, 1947 '7 Sheets-Sheet 5 (f f If f DUUUU WEJDDUE] LIL-59 433 FIG 9.

1949- H. B. GARVIN 2,480,568

ELECTRI L POWER DISTRI ION AN ONTROL APPARA S Filed April '7, 1947 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 E I EE EIUEIEIEI mum I 592 DECIDE] K DENIED [JUDGE Aug. 30, 1949. GARvlN 2,480,568

ELECTRICAL POWER DISTRIBUTION AND CONTROL APPARATUS Filed April '7, 1947 '7 Sheets-Sheet 7 EM WEHEI W W w a I NM MW. M o o o I II M g P o c 0 x 9' a o I oo o K On 110 On &\ 0 O OEl On DO O on o o O 0 O N on no Or! f on no on no (5 on no On DO 00 no on o R on no Ou no 011 no 00 0O Patented Aug. 3Q, 1949 NI A S ELECTRICAL rovvfii i ai s'rmsnnon CONTROL APi 'AnA'i Us Hilary B. Garvin, rlando,Fla. imam A l t 1941, Ser a nasa- Claims. (01. 175 -307 Thisinvention relates, to electrical control apparatus and more particularly tomounting means therefon'such as are commonly referred to as switehboards. l

IThe switchboards or control installations, whioh are commonly in use,;' occupy a considerable amount of, space ancl'are so arranged thatdifilculty is experienced in installing in them the necessary standardcontrol equipment. In industrial plants there is usually only a limited amount of space available forj'the installation of switchboar'ds, and it ish'ighly important to conserve the available spacefand, also. to arrange the installation so that additional, control equipment may be'i'nstalledor that a rearrangement of apparatus already installedmay, be quickly and easily effected. In the apparatushnow available much space is needlessly consumed by'the' wiring as Well as by the mountings; iprthe control ap-i paratus, and additionalinstallations or changes in "prior installations are, both difiicult and costly. These constructions usually comprise housings enclosing instrument. panels with the instruments mounted on the front of the panels and the wiring in back of the" p ar ielS .'v 'Such constructions are necessarily mounted along the, walls ofv a room whenthey' are installiedfand consequently they: take up a great, deal of space, are difii'cult' to worl; with and require an extension oi'the power and control lines. Having in mind the defects of the prior art apparatus, itis among the objects of thepresent invention to provide mounting means for either standard or special control devices. which will enable a large number, o'ijdevicesto be used for like or diiierent purposes and to be centralized with a substantial savingin space, with greater safety both to the attendant and to the devices and, the wiring therefore, with a marked iin-, proveinent inappearance'of. installation, ancl'with greater accessibility of the control devices and the wiring thereof,

It is another, object of, the, invention to provide a switchboard, or the like, which willbe'both; economical in construction and highly flexible in its organization, so that it may be readily adapted to accommodate both present and future needs;

It is still another object of the invention to. pro,- vide a switchboard construction in uthe formv 01 a sectionalizecl"controlfcenter and which may be assembled fromrelativelyiewparts, all oft'wlii ch are of simple construction, and preferably formed of an l iron and-, heet m t and isc a l Q 2 qualityproduction atlow cost.

" h erw g asis st rs. -smart Q5 3 sides ofthe centralsect he eto re n eierablx 'i pmnl h d, o ance with 'a preferred 'enrbodimentoi' the invention, by a sectionali z ed control unitcomprising a sectionalizedfrainework composed of angle irons welded together and of frarnes 'removably ec re tog th r; and m untin Pa e nd ve lat s evahb' mo n edd fra k certain of said cover p lateshaving doors therein to permit ready accesstosaidmounting panels. The structure is divided into thre" main" sections including abusjsectlo e an aterrninal'section at oth 'i l id an, I cs-i t. 9 tha is sub-divided longij ;i iiiirijeplly l oithree' sections comprisingamagazine-sectionor; e side, an n t waent ec on n the Qnm si e n qn u i r em oa ietwe a a j ma a ne an nstrumentseotions" j ;ejnciose the iwiring" between the m sa es ah ,fth .q'umea 'an between the instrumen s; am? th anina ek n th m i a i se 't qnith a r ng m th p paratusmay b epositfon' ed with eitherend: up'so hat th u S ti n ma b osit i d adjacent hi nqomins i ijfee f i ioesfth ati toward thefldq r e efl ieid endi ie up n he n athan or the ieederl ines, r

hetcsn a s tfip r s ub-d riiieq b mount panels, 'oneof whichisarranged to support'the magazines, theoth er otwhioh is adapted to suppo h wll Q T- L$ lim l Q h t h s ctiv ma a ifie aed nst me s si a ro t fi q sq a ls s1 ed re t permit the runninabf the 'Wlrin'g' therebetween and to provide a protected qlosed area for the Wiring, exte din rm n r men t the terminal ho This a nine may include, i desire both ow nt lf n u t s ha th n' t u may" be i oontroll .byfremotely positioned it he Q e 9f 1 mv lti st an s s e s ably, h a y. namon d' b hat t m b m e relative it the other page toiprovide a greater spacebetween said'panelslftq facilitate a wiring operati n, door provide if! h c v plates which are adapted ior'inoui ting on both v and on the frontof the termina seam-the iv; i'nerm t adr a s to the magazine panel; the mst'rument'pane a the i miee -b asks esee ye a 'TheinovQL iB'a uresftn arefconsidered characteristicfo'f athe invent are; s'et forth with h ap and an I Th wever, both, asito its organizaif offthe' 'prop'er type,

tion of a specific embodiment when read in connection with accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts throughout and in which- Fig. 1 is an exploded view in perspective illustrating the structural parts of the present invention;

Fig. 2 isa view in perspective of the main frame of the apparatus; I

Fig. 3 is a side view in elevation of the main frame of the apparatus with the mounting panels in position;

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation of the magazine side of the assembled control apparatus and with a portion of the doors broken away to show the magazines mounted therein;

Fig. 5 is a view in elevation of the instrument side of the assembled control of the apparatus and with a portion of both sets of doors broken away to show the assembled instruments in the central section andthe terminal blocks in the terminal section;

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view taken on a plane corresponding to line 66 of Fig. 4;

Fig. is a fragmentary view in perspective showing the relative positioning of the magazines, starters, terminals and wiring therebetween; the terminal blocks being shown in the reverse toillustrate their detailed construction, for the purpose of this figure, from their actual position as shown in other figures;

Figs. 8 and 9 are diagrammatic views illustrating the versatility of the use afforded by the present invention;

Figs. 10 and 11 are diagrammatic views showing the instrument and magazine sides respectively of a bank of switchboards or control assemblies in accordance with the present invention and illustrating their flexibility of use as to size and capacity of the control instruments assembled therein;

Fig. 12 is a view in elevation of the instrument side of an apparatus of the present invention and illustrating the flexibility of use of the present invention with respect to the type and capacity of control instruments that may be assembled therein;

Fig. 13 is a view in elevation of the magazine side of the apparatus shown in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 14 is a diagrammatic cross sectional view taken on a plane corresponding to line I4l i of Fig. 12.

A switchboard or control apparatus to overcome the defects hereinbefore enumerated should have the totally distinct characteristics of being capable of being inverted by a complete up-ending of the apparatus to accommodate previous wiring installations within the place of installation; it should be sectionalized to provide individual and free spaces for the various operational elements thereof; it should provide an arrangement of these spaces such as to conserve space and yet permit greater accessibility than heretofore possible; and it should provide a simplified construction comprising a minimum of standard parts and capable of a'qualityproduction but at great economy.

Accordingly, a preferred embodiment of the invention, referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, is constituted by a switchboard cabinet construction comprising a main or intermediate section 22 for containing panel boards, an end section 2! for containing terminal blocks and an auxiliary end section 23 for housing feed line bus bars. These sections are preferably, as shown, of rectil tangular box-like formation, the intermediate section 28 having a height greater than its width and a depth less than its width, the sections 29 and 23 having the same cross sectional dimensions of the intermediate section but having a height much less than that of the intermediate section. or course, it is understood that the sections may be of other dimensions as may be found necessary or desirable so long as general organi- Zation and arrangement of parts of the present invention is adhered to. It is preferred to construct these sections by providing the frames of angle-bars and covering said frames with a plurality of plates or sheets removably attached thereto as by bolts or screws. As shown in Fig. 1, it is preferred to construct the sections 2i and iii unitarily, but this is optional, and as a consequence the frame 22 is divided adjacent one end by the bars 24, while section 23 is constructed separately by bars 23' removably secured to the other end of section 28 by bolts or the like because there may be occasions when it is desirable to omit the section 23.

The cover plates are removably attached to the frames to provide a simplicity of structure and ease of assembly and, also to permit the uncovering of the apparatus to effect rewiring or rearrangement. For the sections 29 and 2!, elongated plates 2! are provided to cover the entire upright side portions of the frame 22, a plate 25 having doors 25 therein is provided to cover the rear portion of the frame 22 above the dividing bar 24 and a smaller plate 28 is adapted to cover the rear of the frame 22, below the bar 25, also shown in Fig. 4. For the front of sections 29 and 2! is provided a plate 30 having doors 35 therein to cover the front portion of the frame 22 above the bar 2d and a plate 33 having doors t l therein to cover the front face of the frame below the bar 24, also shown in Fig. 5. The bottom of the frame 22 is covered by a plate 2a to close the terminal block section 2 i. For the bussection 23, plates 36 are provided to cover the front and rear portions and plates 37 to cover the ends or sides and plate 38 to cover the top of the frame 23'. As the horizontal dimensions of the main section 20 and the auxiliary section 23 are identical the top plate 38 may be employed for covering the top end 39 of the main section 2a in the event that the auxiliary frame 23 is dispensed with. The pedestal or sub-frame 32 may be employed to function as an elevated base or support and it is usually left uncovered.

The assembled structure will, therefore, be divided into three sections, namely, the central panel section 29, the end terminal section 2 i, and the opposed bus-bar end section 23. In addition, the central section 20 is subdivided into three vertically disposed compartments from front to back by the opposed and spaced instrument mounting panels 36 and 41, namely, a front coinpartment :0 between the panel 46 and the front plate 36', a rear compartment y between the panel d! and the rear plate 25, and an intermediate compartment 2 between the panels 46 and ii.

The arrangement of the cabinet, thus far described, and the use of the various parts thereof is best illustrated in Figs. 3, 6, 7 and 14, wherein it may be seen that the central section 2%} provides for housing the various control apparatus, the end section 2| houses the terminals to which are connected the leads from the apparatus in the central section 20 and the leads to the current consuming devices that are controlled by the apparatus in the central section 20, and the other shown in fEigfil, the pane end-section 231s a'bus section within .Whichthe main feeders or current. supply conductors may be connected to leads running to the controlapparatus in the centrals' ctionill. Furthermore, the central section 20 is divided into a rear or magazine compartment yfor hous'inglth'e' zines and the leads from'thef feeder lines or main supply conductors to the magazines, which are fully exposedby-and accessiblethrough doors a front or'instrnment compartmentm for housing the controlinstruments which are adapted to control the operation of the current'consum devices, which are fully exposed by and-access throughdoors 3!, andthe' intermediate or wiring compartment 2 for enclosing and confining the leads extendingfroni the magazines in the compartmenty to"the instruments-in the compart .fnent x andfrom the-i'nstruments to the terminal section 2!. In some installations, particularly those of smaller capacity, the bus section 23 may be eliminated and the feeder line's brought directly into the end w 'ofthemain Secti'on'Efl into the'magazine compartmentuin which case of course; the end- 39"of section ll may be closed by the cover plate 38 -throug-h which" a suitable opening or'c'penin'gs will be drilled-to admit such lines.

The panels '46 and ll x-tend preferably the length and width of the section 2-0 and are relatively adjustable toward an'dfromeach'other. To accomplish-this, thepari'elsj4G and '4T may be mounted on frame 44 and respectively, the frame 44 heingri'g'idly fiiied in position by horizontal cross-bars '4'0Qxtending between and supported by the divisioii bai 21 'of 3 the cabinet frame 22, and bysimilar "Crossbar -4m extehding betweenthe topm erfib'er of the'cab' inet'frame 2-2; whereas the frain"45-ma y"-be adjus'tab-ly mounted, as best'shown lriEigsl2 and '3 "The frame/l5 may comprise two vertically aligned and spaced'horizontally -"disposd bars having their ends 5-l turned atrightan-glesand bolt holes 52 extend through saidangular ends.

The ends of said-bars 45 aradjustahflymounted on horizontal cross-"members" 53," "which extend across the sides 'ofthe's'ection 20; and" have horizontal slot's 55 therein The angular ends 5Iof the bars 55 are positionedfiush with the insides of the cross'dneinbeis"53"andadjustably secured thereto by bolts, or otherfls uit'able V fasteners 54, which extendthrou gh the'bolt holes 52 in the ends 5! and thr'oughthehorizontal Sldtsfiiih the cross members -53. This structure permits the panel 41 tobe removahly secured to the supporting bars or'irame' 45 -a'r' djthe[panel 4'! tobe "moved forwardlyor rearwar'dly by means of said.

bolts 5d sliding in said'slo ts "55 and'to vary the depths of the magazine compartment :11 and the wiring compartment z. This? arrangements particularly dvantageous-mp1 gtheQswitchboardjas the panel 41 may be movdoutw'ardly supports for terminal blocks to which" are connected V the conductors 1 between the instruments the .cu1'rent consuming devices. As best fis' adapted to have a plurality of magazines; 5 8'inountdthereon and itis a 9 adapted tosupporli'afbhiralityflof vertically dispos'dbu's bars-S9 which-"may be conform of a standard type or fuse pull box, noweifer, other types of equipment may be used. ,The magazines 58 are, preferably/arrangedin pairs of vertical columns so .that the connectinghus bars 59 may be convenientlymounted vertically on the panel El and betweerrthe pairs of columns of the magazines 58. This arrangement of spaced magazines 58 with the supply busses therebetween provides a compact orderlystruoture hat saves considerable space and ready availability for work thereon by an, attendant.

.The cross husses '62 are horizontally positioned by connection with the receiving or 'inputter- .minals 63 of a pairof .the horizontally spaced magazines 58 and each of the cross husses .52 may be electrically connected with one of. the vertical busses 59 by a suitable clamp 64.' .The supply or output terminals .65 of themagazines 5.8 are arranged to the outside, or opposite the bus terminals 53, so that .theyconveniently may be connected with conductors .66 which extend around the edge of, or through, the panel 14] and into theintermediate wiring 'orcon'ductor compartment a By thisarrangement'all of the current supply conductors and the magazines are conveniently and efliciently arrangedon thefront of the mounting panel 43' so that they are readily accessible upon opening the doors'26 in'the face panel 25. For purposes of safety, itis preferred to cover the busses and conductors with protective panels'lil whichlie flush with the faces of the magazines 5% as shown in Fig. 4.' In'the present instant a three phase circuit is shown to accommodate alternating current, however; it will be understood that the structure is not limited to this use. In additionit'ma ybe pointed out that the bus section'fismay accommodatefeed'er supply busses 6! in the'form of a cable as shown in'Fi 6 or in the'form' of standard bus bars 6la as shown in Figs. 7, 1 2 and 14, the latter arrangement being preferred where a plurality of the switchhoard'units' are combined or arrangedsidelay-side in a single assembly, inwhich'latter case the adjacent end platesflS! of 'thesectionsfil'are removed and the bus-fbars'fil extend the width of the assembled units.

The mounting panel .45is adaptedto have a plurality of instruments 63 mounted thereon and the instruments are shown as'comp'ris'i'ng motor starters, because the usual current consuming device comprises a motor. Other suitable instruments may be employedinst'ead ofthe starters, however, or in'combination therewith asshown in Fig. 12 wherein manual controls for single phase-lighting circuits are-illustrated. The panel has a plurality ofspaced aperturesitQ therein (see Fig. 7) and the instruments' lia are mounted between two such apertures 69 which are vertiment' athrough one erthe apertures fiil tcitheinstrument 68 through the other of the-apertures 69into the wiring compartment sand-through the same to the terminal section 2 I. As the panel '46 is preferably of steel, the apertures 69 are insulated bycollars 69', although the panels may be of any other material.

A typical assembly, is shown in Fig. 7 wherein it will be seen that the conductors 66, connected with the supply terminals 65 of a magazine 58, extend around the edge of the magazine panel 41 and transversely through the wiring compartment 2 to the instrument panel 46 and through the upper of a pair of spaced apertures 69, to an instrument 68 which is mounted on the opposite face of the instrument panel 46. Conductors l fromthe instruments 68, are passed through the aperture 69 which underlies the instrument 58 into the wiring compartment 2 and longitudinally through said section to the terminal section 2|.

The conductors 76 include the three phase transmission or current carrying conductors 16' and, if magnetically operated instruments 68 are employed, control conductors it" may also be included, both sets of these conductors being extended to the terminal section 2| and connected to their respective terminal blocks H which are mounted in the terminal section 21 on the supporting bars 66. There are three of the current carrying conductors 18' but normally there will be only two of the control conductors 10" which run between a manual switch which is usually adjacent the current consuming device and a magnetically operated switch incorporated with each of the instruments 68.

The terminal bloclrs H may be of standard construction and comprise input terminals 12 and output terminals 13 and their use facilitates the connecting of the switchboard with the various current consuming devices which are to be controlled. That is, the switchboard is completely wired and the conductors 16 are connected with the input terminals 12 of the terminal block H. The conductors 15 from the current consuming devices may then be run into the terminal section 2! and connected with the output terminals 13 of the blocks H to complete the circuit between a manual control switch adjacent its current consuming device, and the given control instrument 68, and between said instrument 68 and the current consuming device. This arrangement comprises a convenient system for connecting the various current consuming devices with the switchboard, as the only wiring operation that is necessary is that of running the connecting lines from the devices into the terminal section 2! and attaching the lines to a selected set of output terminals 13.

The terminal blocks H are preferably divided into two groups H and 'H and the current carrying conductors 10 may be connected with the terminal blocks in the group H whereas the control conductors l'll" may be connected with the terminal blocks in the group 'H. The terminal block group H may all be assembled together upon one or more of the supporting bars 56 and to one side of the terminal section 2| whereas the control terminal blocks may be assembled as a group 1 l upon another of the supporting bars 56 and to the other side of the terminal section 2! or at least in a separate and distinct and closely associated group.

This arrangement has the decided advantage of assembling all of the terminal blocks II that are employed for the same purpose in one consolidated group so that they may be readily identified .-and connected up to the proper conductor lines. Ihe close grouping and identification of the control blocks 1|" along with the control leads fat cilitates the interlocking or dual control of one or more current consuming devices or from one or more controlling stations such as the instru- 5 ments 6%. Furthermore the grouping of the terminal blocks ll upon the spaced supporting bars 56 distributes the positioning of the blocks H across the width of the switchboard structure so that there is ample room for effecting the necessary wiring; and, moreover, the blocks 1| may be disposed in more or less vertical alignment with the control stations or instruments 68 with which they are associated so that a minimum of wiring is necessary and an orderly arrangement of the wiring is effected.

The versatility and flexibility of the switchboard comprising the present invention is virtually unlimited. As illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9, the switchboard may be installed with the terminal section 2! at the top and the bus section 23 at the bottom or, conversely, with the bus section 23 at the top and the terminal section 2| at the bottom, depending upon the prior installation of the feeder lines 6! and of the current carrying and control lines it, or according to the convenience of running such lines of installation. In other words, if the main feeder lines 6i are installed within or beneath the floor of the plant in which a given installation is made, then the switchboard may be arranged with the bus section 23 at the bottom so that the connection between the feeders ti and the vertical bus bars 59 may be made at the terminus of the feeders 6i and extended connecting lines, with the vertical busses 5% are unnecessary. In an installation of this type, the connecting lines 15 between the terminal section 2! and the current consuming devices 76 may be extended from the top of the switchboard and along the ceiling of the industrial plant to the location of the particular current consuming devices 76. Conversely, if the feeder lines 6i are run along the ceiling of the plant, the bus section 53 may then be located at the top and the terminal section 2! located at the bottom of the switchboard, and the connecting lines 15 extended therefrom through or beneath the floor of the plant to the respective current consuming devices 1 6. a

The flexibility of the unit also extends to the combination of capacity and number of current consuming devices that may be controlled by a given unit. This feature is best illustrated in Figs. 10 and 11 of the drawings which illustrate diagrammatically a bank of four units, Fig. 10 showing the instrument panels 46 of the switchboards and Fig. 11 showing the magazine panels 41 of the same units, which, in the two figures, are shown one above the other for ease of comparison rather than being reversed from left to right as would actually be the case.

In the switchboard, or unit A, it will be seen in Fig. 10, that this assembly comprises thirty of the motor starters or instruments 68 each of which, for instance, is adapted to control a maximum of thirty 5 H. P. current consuming devices. On the magazine side, shown in Fig. 11, the unit A will have four columns of magazines 58 with two sets of vertical bus bars 59 between the two pairs of said columns. It will be seen that there are 70 thirty-six of the magazines 58 or spaces therefore, as compared to but thirty of the instruments 68, th extra magazines 58 being provided for the a usual constant circuits, master control circuits,

.and the like which are run directly from the 75. magazines and not through the instruments 68.

The nextjswitchboard unit B maycompnse twelve of the motor-starters or instruments G8,

each whi'ch may; 'for instance, ccntrol a maximum bf H. P; softhat the unit'will control a maximum 'of twelve motors or other current consuming devices 16, each having u to "15H. P. capacity. The magazine Section Of th ellihlt B contains two 001- ll'filn sfb f 'l'ilag'azines T23 With a Single setor the vertical bus bars 59 therebetween.

In the unit 0, onthei'n'strument panel 46 shown in Fig. 10, there are six instruments 6 8, eachoff which is adapted to control, for example, a maxtmumbr 30 HP. and-on the ma azine panel "41, in Fiaijr, there are two 'eeit' ns er the fr'fiig'ajz'iile's 58 with a single set of the Vertical bill's bar's ss her be ween, v V g I In unit D on the instrument'tena 46, is shown lirFig. :10, there are "illustrated ten small instruments 6'8 which areeaasted to control, foreka-m'ple, a maximum of ten '5 H P. current consuming devices, and in'the same instrument sec tion are six large instruments 58 which are aaaptea to control, for instance, six 15 P. current consuming (levic'esl 'and on the magazine panel 4'! of this unit, as shown in Fig, 11', there aretw'ocolurnns of the magazine 58 with one set in thevertical bus bars 53 therebetwe'e'n, part of the in'a'gazines '58 being large units of a capacity ,to accommodate th'efs'ixf15 H. P. i1ist'rume'nts an the.. m= in ".of the ma a i e being smallerunits whichlwill accommodate the '5 H. P. capacity of the 's maller instrument 68. V

Thus, it will be seen that the same switchboard organization, as hereinbefore described, may be readily adapted t'ojprovide any combination of capacity andnumloer of current consuming devices tobe controlled v. e

In add' ition to fiexibilityvas to horsepower re;- cuire ments, the present switchboard construetion also hasconsiclerable flexibility as to the type cfjinstruments and current characteristics that it is adapted to accommodate. This feature "is illustrated 'inliigs. 12, 13 and ll in which a're ShQll/fn alplurality of motor starters or instruments Stand recessed manual control systems 8!} in the ins'trumentfsection with a combination of types ofmagiazi'nes 58 to, accommodate both the instruments 68 and the manual control 85. In Fig. 12

it will be seen that there are fifteen of the lnstrumerits 68 with two of the manual control assem bliesfiilwhich, as, shown in Fig. 14, are recessed within the instrument panel Referring back to lFigh l'2,,.it will be seen that the three phase instruments 58 may be connected. by current carrying conductors with the terminal group Hf and by .contrclconductors with the terminal group H71 vwhereas the. single phase lighting circuits running from the manual controls 8% may extend tolthe terminal group HQ, On the magazine side,

and the constant and master circuits if such are desired H l we .-In,iew of the foregoing description it is readily evident thatithe versatility and flexibility of the switchboard comprising the present invention affcrd-s economy of assembly and installationwith considerable saving of space clue to the unique construction that divides the assembly into a plurality separate and distinct sections, each having one distinctiunction, one of saidsections being in they dividedinto three comparti ent's for a distinct purpose, all of which have been so "ar 10 ranged as to provide extreme compactness. This organization includes the bus section 23 within which connection is made between the main feeder lines BI and the apparatus within the unit, the mag zine compartment y for housing the maga'z'in'es and copperbetweeh the connection in the bus section aii'd th'e magazines, and which section is readily accessible through the doors 26, a starter or instrum nt compartment a: for housing the nstruments E3 "and and which compartment'ls' readi y accessible thrbligh the doors 3!, an intermediate wiring compartment between the megaz m'e compartment 1/ and the instrument compart merit- 2t and for housing the wiring between the magazines EB and the instruments 68 and supply a'na control lines'fiil from the instruments 68, and the terminal section 2| in which all current carry ln'g lines or conductors it and all control conductors it"irbm each of the instruments 68 are g tuteaans identified upon terminal blocks H and which are readily exposed and accessible tn etgr 1 tneeeo;s 3 1 so that the conductors '15 from the current censummg devices may be m lted at with the output terminals 12 of the terminal blocks 1|.

Furthermore, the organization is such that in ufacturing and assembly may be rapid, economical and fa-cile. The frame 22, 2 32 maybe welded or removably bolted or otherwise fastene te eth ntte cover plates and panels out toslz'eahd have bolt holes bored therein and the-operati nal equipment from the vertical but bars 59 to the terminal blocks 'll may be installed '1 emain cabinet. 20, The equipment may be in separate sections as they maybe handled more easily; and then the sections may beas'sjernbledat the place of installation. The installation jope'rat'ion is extremely simple inasmnjehjas the equipment is completely installed and all that is necessary is to hook it up to com plete the circuits The base pedestal is placed on a t e; 1evelsupp0rting surface, the terminal on Zl is placed on the base 32 if the ieeder li'; es 6 l,,,are oy erhead, as shown in Fig. 9, or the but secticn 23 is mounted on the base if the feeders 6| fare underfootas shown in Fig. 8, and the ierhai. 1g sections placed on top of whichever seqtien 'i'sp'rViDusIY installed in such order that the main sectio'niilisintermediate. Thefeeders 6i are'the'fi run into the bus section 23 and connected to the bus bars 55a or, as the installation per'mitsjr asmay be desired, directly to the Velticalebusba'rjsjii, in which latter case the scticn Z3 m'aybe eliminated in some instances where onlyr qne "cabinet unit is employed; and thenvcontrlol leads 15 are run into the terminal secticn 2,! and connect'ed to the output terminals jth'eeterrriinal blocks The switchboard it therirady fo op t o V hougli certain specific embodiments of the on have been shown and described it is v H 1 y modification's thereof are pos- The invention, therefore, is not to be re- Bd, exce t insofar as is necessitated by the priorfart'and by the spirit oi the appended claims.

{That which isclaimed as new is z A 's c eater construction comprising a h using di itled into sections by framework, one of s idsectiohs being at one end of said housing a frame therein mounted toward of and supporting apanel, vertical ounted on said panel for connection mounted on ha tte s t 7 with said main bus bars, control units on said-panel and connected to said vertical bus bars, a second. frame mounted in said central section and spaced from said vertical frame toward the opposite side of said section, an instrument panel mounted on said second frame, doors in the sides of said housing in front of said panels, respectively, to permit access thereto, one of said frames being movably mounted to permit adjust able spacing of said panels relative to each other, said panels having conductor apertures, conductors extending between said panels from said control units to said instruments, another of said sections being at the other end of said housing forming a terminal section, supports positioned in said terminal section, terminal blocks for all of the incoming and outgoin operating conductors mounted on said supports, doors in said terminal section in front of said terminal blocks to permit access thereto, and electric power and control conductors extending from said instruments and between said panels to said terminal blocks,

2. Electrical control apparatus of the character: described including, in combination, structural members forming a control board housing having front and rear faces, front and rear spaced, vertical panels one adjustable toward and from the other mounted within said housing, said front panel facing and spaced inwardly of the front face of the housing, said rear panel facing and spaced inwardly of the rear face of said housing, protective circuit breaking devices and electrical leads thereto mounted on the outer face of one of said panels, control instruments mounted on the outer face of the other panel, said panel having apertures for the passage of electrical conductors therethrough, electrical conductors extending from said protective devices into the space between said front and rear panels and through said rear panel apertures to said control instruments, and doors on the front and rear faces of the housing structures providing access to the protective devices and control instruments which are mounted on said panels, said housing being also formed by said structural members to have a compartment ,in open vertical relation to said panels, terminals for all the incoming and outgoing operating conductors mounted in said compartment, and electrical conductors connected to said terminals and adapted to be connected to electrical devices mounted on the mounting face of one of said panels. 7

3. Electrical control apparatus of the character described including, in combination, structural members forming a control board housing having front and rear faces, front and rear spaced, ver-' tical panels one adjustable to and from the other mounted within said housing, said front panel facing and spaced inwardly of the front face of the housing, said rear panel facing and spaced inwardly of the rear face of said housing, protective circuit breaking devices and electrical leads thereto mounted on the outer face of one of said panels, control instruments mounted on the outer face of the other panel, said panel having apertures for the passage of electrical conductors therethrough, electrical conductors extending from said protective devices into the space between said front and rear panels and through said rear panel apertures to said control instru; ments, and doors on the front and rear faces of the housing structures providing access to the protective devices and control instruments which are mounted on said panels, said housing being also formed by said structural members to have a compartment in open vertical relation to said panels, a plurality of vertical supports spaced sidewise of each other mounted in said compartment, a group of terminal blocks for all the incoming and outgoing operating conductors mounted on said supports, conductors leading from said control instruments through the conductor apertures of the panel on which the control instruments are mounted and through the space between said panels to said terminal blocks, and a door on the housing at the said compartment affording access to said terminal blocks therein.

4. Electrical control apparatus of the character described including, in combination, structural members forming a control board housing having front and rear faces, front and rear spaced, VET-'- tical panels mounted within said housing, said front panel facing and spaced inwardly of the front face of the housing, said rear panel facing and spaced inwardly of the rear face of said housing, protective circuit breaking devices and electrical leads thereto mounted on the outer face of one of said panels, control instruments mounted on the outer face of the other panel, said panel having apertures for the passage of electrical conductors therethrough, electrical conductors extending from said protective devices into the space between said front and rear panels and through said rear panel apertures to said control instruments, and doors on the front and rear faces of the housing structures providing access to the protective devices and control instruments which are mounted on said panels, said housing being also formed by said structural members to have a compartment in vertical relation to said panels, a plurality of vertical supports spaced sidewise of each other mounted in said compartment, a group of terminal blocks mounted on said supports, conductors leading from said control instruments through the conductor apertures of the panel on which the control instruments are mounted and through the space between said panels to said terminal blocks, and a door on the housing at the said compartment affording access to said terminal blocks therein, said panels being relativelyshiftable whereby they may be moved farther apart to, facilitate extending the conductors through the space between them and then may be moved closer together to conserve space in the housing.

5. Electrical control apparatus of the character described including, in combination, structural members forming a control board housing having front and rear faces, front and rear spaced, vertical panels one adjustable toward and from the other mounted within the housing, said front panel facing and spaced inwardly of the front face of the housing and the rear panel facing and spaced inwardly of the rear face of the housing both of said panels having conductor apertures, protective circuit breaking devices mounted on the outer face of one of said panels, conductors leading to said protective devices, control instruments mounted on the outer face of the other panel, conductors leading from the protective devices through the conductor apertures of the panel on which they are mounted and into the space between said panels and through the conductor apertures in the other panel to the control instruments thereon, and doors on the front and. rear faces of the housing aifcrding to the said instruments and devices on said panels said housing being also formed by said structural members to have a compartment over said panels and another compartment under said panel, supply busses mounted in one of said compartment conductors leading from said supply busses to said protective circuit breaking devices, a plurality of vertical supports spaced sidewise of each other mounted in said other compartment, a group of terminal blocks for all of the incoming and outgoing operating conductors mounted on said supports, conductors leading from said control instruments through the conductor apertures of the panel on which the control instruments are mounted and through the space between said panel to said terminal blocks, and a door on the housing at said latter compartment affording access to said terminal blocks therein.

' HILARY B. GARVIN.

14 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

